Lloyd’s Managing Agent

A managing agent is a company set up to manage one or more syndicates, on behalf of the members who provide the capital. The managing agent employs the underwriting staff and handles the day-to-day running of a syndicate’s infrastructure and operations. Often a single corporate group will manage and fund a syndicate, thereby aligning the management and capital provision. For other syndicates, a number of different members – which can include both private capital and corporate groups – not connected with the managing agent provide the capital (these are known as ‘unaligned’ syndicates). New syndicates are often established under a ‘turnkey’ model, where an existing managing agent establishes and manages the syndicate on behalf of a third party capital provider. After a period of time, the capital provider may seek regulatory approval to establish their own managing agent.

Lloyd’s Market

This term may refer to the place where business is transacted between managing agents and Lloyd’s brokers, or to the syndicates that provide cover at Lloyd’s. The majority of business written at Lloyd’s is placed through brokers who facilitate the risk-transfer process between clients (policyholders) and underwriters. Clients can discuss their risk needs with a broker, a cover holder or a service company. Specialist underwriters for each syndicate price underwrite and handle any subsequent claims in relation to the risk. Business at Lloyd’s is still conducted face-to-face, and the bustling underwriting room is central to the smooth running of the market. The market structure encourages innovation, speed and better value, making it attractive to policyholders and participants alike. Immediate access to decision-makers means that answers on whether a risk can be placed are made quickly, enabling the broker to provide fast, good-value solutions. The Lloyd’s market houses syndicates which offer an unrivalled concentration of specialist underwriting expertise and talent.